Beet-harvester.



3.10. slEGFus. 4am HARVESTER.

APPLICATION FILED-JULY Z. |915- Ll'gf?. Patented Apr. 18, 1916.

4 SHEETS-SHEET l.

I o. sniGFus. BEET HARVESTER.

APPLICATION FILED vJULY 7. 1915.

Patented Apr. 18, 1916.

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B.. O. SEGFUS.

BEET HARVESTER.

MPLICATIQN HLED JULY 7. 1915.

Patented Apr. 18, 1916.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

B. o. snGFus.-

BEET HARVESTER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 7 |915.

SHEET 4.

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.tops from the same.v

UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEicE.

vBEI'EIDIC'L 0. SZIEGFUS, OF SALT..LAKE CITY, UTAH.

BEET-HARVESTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.'

Patented Apr. 18, 1916.

Application led'July 7, 1915. Serial No. 38,460.

Vand it has particular reference to a machine which by a singleoperation will pull or lift the lbeets from the ground and detach theOne object of the present invention is to produce a machine of simpleand effective tonstruction embodying a ground engaging wheel supportedfor rotation andI having means for grasping the tops of the beets,

the beets being lifted from the ground as 'the wheel revolves, meansbeing provided for severing the beets from the tops and for conveyingthe latter to a box or receptacle.

A further object ofthe invention is to Asimplify and vimprove theconstruction of, the rotary pulling element and related partsincludingthe means for causing the said pulling element to release the tops atthe proper point.

With these and other ends inview which will readily appear as the nature'of the invention is better understood, the same consists in theimproved construction and novel arrangement and combination of partswhich will be-hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed outin the claims.

In the accompanyingdrawings has been illustrated a simple and preferredform of the invention, it being, however, underst d that no limitationis -necessarily made to the precise structural details thereinexhibited, but that changes, alterations and modiicatio-ns within thescope of the claims may be-resorted to .when desired.

fIn thefdrawingsr-Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine Yconstructedin accordancewith the inventionfthe inner wheel being removed. Fig. 2is-a top plan view of the machine.4 Fig. 3 is a rear elevation. Fig. 4isa horizontal sectional view taken through the rotary pulling wheelsubstantially on the line 4 4 in Fig. 1. Fig.'5 is.l a sectional detailview, enlarged, taken on the line' 5-"-5,in Fig. ,1. Fig. 6 is asectional detail view, enlarged, taken on the line 6--6 in Fig. 1. Fig.7 is a rperspective detail View of a portion of the rim of the lpullingwheel. Fig. 8 is a perspective'detail viewl of one of the rim-sectionsof the pulling wheel.

chine comprlses forwardly convergent side Y members or. hounds 15between the forward ends of whlch a tongue 16 is mounted, the

Arearward ends of said hounds being provided with bearings for the axle17 which is supported bythe ground wheels 18.

The pulling wheel comprises in its construction a sleeve or hub member19 which is loosely mounted on the axle 17, the bore of said sleeve orhub being of a diameter materially exceeding that of the axlefso thatsaid hub and the parts connected therewith will not only be free torevolve, but also to move upward, downward, forward and rearward withrespect to the axle, thereby permittingl said pulling wheel to adaptitself to irregularities in the surface of the ground. The diameter ofthe pulling wheel Vis less than that of the transporting wheels,

so that the pulling wheel will ride upon the f ridge in which the beetsare growing, while the ground wheels will ride in the lciollows betweenthe ridges. The sleeve or hub 19 is provided at the ends thereof withflanges 20, and intermediate said anges the hub is Vprovided with twocircumferential series of radially extending arms 21 with which spokes22 are pivotally connected by' pins or 'pivot members 23 so that thespokes will be capable ofv swinging toward and apart from each other.The hub is confined between disks 20 that-are secured on the axle, saiddisks serving to prevent endwise or longitudinal movement of the hubwith respect to the axle while in no wise interferedges with groundengaging flanges 25. The

ends of the segment plates are loosely connected with the spokes bymeans of hinge joints 26 of suitable construction so that theindividualspokes will be rfree to rock on thelr respective pivots 23. Bolted orotherwise secured on'the opposed innerl faces of` the segment plates 24Aare annular cushions 27 of resll'ient' material, such as rubber, or acomposition containing rubber. While these cushions are described asbeing annular in the senseA that they extend entirely around thecircumference of the pulling wheel, it is to be understood that eachcushion may be made up of a plurality of sections wheny desired. Thecushions 27 are v provided in their opposed. faces with cumferentialgrooves 28,'whereby they w be enabled to take a better hold on the top"of the beets, as will be hereinafter mort` fully set forth.

Thel lianges 2O at the ends of the hub are -provided with annulargrooves 29 for the reception of frames F, each of said frames consistingof a ring 30 having a plurality of radially extending arms 31, 32, 33.`The arms 32 extend forwardly and are termi- 4 nally connectedwith a rod34 which is slidably mounted in longitudinal slots 35 in the hounds orframe bars 15. The arms 33 extend rearwardly and with said arms isadljustably connected a yoke 36 by means of and shorter than the arms32, 33. "The arms 31, 32, 33 serve to supportthe guide rings or trackrings 39,' said rings or'track members being connected with the arms ofthe frames' F by means of bolts 40 about which 'springs 41 are coiledwhereby the rings or track members are normally forced in the directionof the outer faces of the spokes 22, which latter are equipped withanti-friction members, such as rollers 42, that ride in the rings ortrack members. The two sets or series of spokeswill thus be forcedresiliently in the direction of each other so as to exert a grippingaction on the tops of the beets engaged thereby, as will be-hereaft-ermore fully-described. t

For the purpose of gathering and bunching the tops of the beets togetherso as to enter between the annular cushions 27 between which the topswill be grasped and held securely, there is provided a pair-of guidemembers 43, said guide members being made of sheet metal or othermaterial and provided with forwardly divergent opposed edges 44 betweenwhich the beet tops willenter. The members 43 may be supported .entirelyor in part by the arcuate' guides 45,

which latter are supported by a rod or bar 46 having at its rearward endan eye 47 engaging the hub 19, the forward end of the bar 46 beingconnected with the rod 34 by means of an eye 48 engaging said rod. Thebar 46 is provided with laterally extending arms 49 with which theguides 45 are convare being vcarried past said knife.

nected, said uides approximately concentric with the ub 19 and arrangedcontigu-l ous to the inner faces of the spokes 22, the rollers of which,42, will engage said guides. At their yupper ends the guldes 45 arerelatively close together, but they diverge downwardly to a point 50which is the point at which the beet tops are received by the pullingwheel. At the point 50 thel guides 4 5 may terminate abruptly, or theymay be provided with convergent .tail portions 51 tol prevent thegripping action of the pulling wheel from being exerted too suddenly. lt

is obvious that when the pulling wheel is in operation, and the spokesreach the upper portions of theguides 45, the said spokes will therebybe forced outwardly against the tension ofthe springs 41therebyspreading the parts of the cushions 27 carried by said spokes apart fromeach other to facilitate the entrance therebetween of the tops-of thebeets. As s oon as said tops are positioned well between the cushionsthe spokes pass out of engagement with the guides 45, and the parts ofthe cushions carried thereby will be forced in the direction of eachother,

thereby'gripping the beet tops, as will be readily understood.

The frame members A15 support a downwardly extending bracket 53 withwhich the front end of a plow beam 54 is pivotally and adjustablyconnected by means of a pin or bolt 55. The beam is provided with astandard 56carrying a small plow 57 which is suitably constructed vtoloosen the soil and to exert a lifting action' on the beets encounteredthereby, the purpose of said plow being not to form a furrow, but simplytol assist in lifting or pushing the beets from the ground. For thepurpose of lifting the plow from the ground and supporting it in araisedv position for transportation, means are provided including a handlever 58 securedto a rock shaft 59 having a crank or arm 60 which isconnected by a rod or link 61 i with one arm 62 of a, belll crankfulcrumed on the axle 17, the other arm 63 of said bell crank beingconnected by a rod or-link 64 with the plow beam 54 which may thus beraised or lowered. The hand lever 58 is provided with a stop member 65engaging a rack segment 66 for the purpose of maintaining the partssecurely in adjusted position.

The yoke 36 carries a knife or cutting member 67 that lies adjacent tothe circumference of the pulling wheel for the purpose of severing thebeetsfrom the tops'as they A seat 68 for the driver or operator issupported on the frame of the machine..

Supported between the guide members 45 is a slide' or chute 69 which isadapted to receive the VAbeet tops as they are being released from thepulling wheel by the spreading of the spokes caused by the guides 45.Over isc permanently or detachably Aconnected with the frame members 15in any convenient manner. I

In the operation of this machine it will be seen that thepulling wheelwill be rotated by contact with the ground of the' anges or shoes 25 loftheplates 24 whereby the spokes are linked together, the wheel adaptingitself freely to irregularities in the ground, owing to its beingloosely mounted on the axle in the manner described. The down-goingspokes on the forward side of the machine will be gradually spread apartor diverged by the action Aof the guides 4,5, and the cushions orgripping members 27 will thus be widely spread apart at the point wherethe beet tops enter therebetween, the beet tops being hunched by theguide members 43. Shortly after the beet tops enter between the cushionsor gripping members 27 the spokes will pass. Iout of engagement with theguides 45, and

said spokes will now be forced in the direction of each other cby theaction of the springs 41, causing the tops of the beets to be grippedfirmly between the cushions 27. At this point the action of the plow 57will loosen the soil about the beet, and the plow will exert an upwardlypushing action on the beet root, causing the latter to be readilyextracted and Acarried upward by the up-going rearward portion of thepulling wheel until the knife 67 is encountered, whereby thebeetissevered and caused to drop on the ground in a position from which it maybe subsequentlyl gathered. The tops are carried upward and forwardby thewheel until the upper ends of the lguides 45 are encountered, when thecushions 27 will be forced apart, thereby releasing the tops which willnow be discharged overth'e slide or chute 69 into the box 70.

As will be seen from the foregoing ldescription the operation of thepulling wheel is continuous, the beets being extracted and severed fromthe tops while the latter,l are carried to a. place of deposit. It isobvious that a suitable box or receptacle may be arranged for thereception of the beetswhen desired.' It is also to be understood thatwhile in the accompanying drawings only 'a single pullin wheel has beenshownfa, machine might e constructed embodying the principle of thisinvention and equipped.

with a plurality of pulling wheels to operate simultaneously on aplurality of rows of beets. .l

The improved machine isvery simple in construction and operation; it islight and l durable, `and may be constructed at a very moderate expense.The parts of the tdevice are to a large extent adjustable andinterchangeable, and the parts may be easily replaced at small expensewhen broken or injured. The machine` may be operated with slightexpenditureof power; the work ofthe machine is performed without injuryto the beets or the tops, and the machine is readily adapted to operateon all sizes of beets and any kind of soil.

It is desired to state that the guide rings I or track rings 39, whichare constructed of non-resilient material, are to be properly shapedtocause the moving parts of the pulling wheel'to'be properly guidedthereby to exercise gripping and releasing, action with respect to thebeet tops at the proper times.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, is

1. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a framehaving a wheel carryin axle, of a ground engaging pulling wheel'liavinga'hub mounted on the axle, the diameter of the bore of said hub beingmaterially larger than the diameter of the axle to permit the wheel toadjust itself to irregularities in the ground irrespective of the axle.l

2. In a machine of the class described, a ground engaging pulling wheelhaving iexible rims constituting gripping members, and means for forcingsaid rimsresiliently in the direction of each other, said rims beingprovided with annularly grooved gripping cushions on their opposedfaces.

, 3. In a machine of the class described, a ground engaging pullingWheel having flexible rims constituting gripping members and means forforcing said rims resiliently in the direction of each other, said rimscomprising. each a 'plnralitys of segment plates having ground engagingflanges.

4. In a machine of theclass'described, a ground engaging pulling wheelcomprising .la hub having two circumferentialseries of radialarmsnspokes pivotally connected with ythe arms, rims comprising segmentplates hingedly connected withl the spokes and constituting flexiblerfms, and means for forcing said 'flexible rims resiliently in thedirection of each other.,

having terminal annular grooved fianges and Vtwo circumferential seriesof radial arms intermediate the flanges, spokes pivotally connected withthe arms, flexible rims consisting of segment plates hingedly connectedwith the spokes, guide frames mounted inthe annular grooves of theflanges, said guide frames having radial arms, a rod carried by themainframe and connected. with some of said arms toprevent rotation .ofthe guide frames, guide rings carried by the arms of the guide frames,and springs whereby said guide rings are forced in the direction of thespokes to force said spokes and the rims carried thereby yieldingly in'the direction of each other.

6. In a machine of the class described, a wheel supported carrying framehaving an axle and side members provided with longitudinal slots, incombination with a ground engaging pulling wheel having a hub mounted onthe axle, the hub having a bore of materially larger'diameter than theaxle to permit the pulling wheel to ada1.t itselfto irregularities inthe surface of the ground ir respective of the wheel supported frame,said pulling wheel including two sets of pivoted spokes, flexiblegripping rims carried by said spokes, means for forcing the grippingrims resiliently in the direction of each other including guide framesmounted on the hub and having radial arms, a rod supported in thelongitudinal slots in the side members of the main frame and connectedwith some of the arms of the guide frames to prevent rotation of thelatter, and

guide rings carried by the arms of the guide frames and forcedresiliently against the two sets of spokes, said spokes being providedwith rollers to engage said guide frames. 7. In a machine of the classdescribed, a .wheel supported carrying frame having an axle and sidemembers provided with longif tudinal slots, in combination with a groundengaging pulling wheel having a hub mounted on the axle, the hub havinga bore of materially larger diameter than the axle to perv mit thepulling Wheel to adapt itself to irregularities vin the surface of theground irrespective of the wheel supported frame, said pulling wheelincluding two sets of pivoted spokes, flexible gripping rims carried bysaid spokes, means for forcing the gripping rims resiliently in thedirection of each other including guide frames mounted on the hub andhaving radial arms, a rod supportedin` the longitudinal slots in the aground engaging pulling wheel looselyl mounted on the axle to adaptitself to irregularities in the ground, said pulling wheel ground.

having pivotedspokes and iiexible gripping rims and means forVresiliently forcing said rims in the direction of each other, a rodmovably supported b'y the main frame, a bar having terminal eyesengaging said rod and the hub of 'the pulling wheel, spreading memberscarried by said bar and engaging the spokes to force* the latter-andtheiexible rims apart from each other, and bunching members to gather thetops of beets and to guide them between the flexible rims while thusforced apart.

9. In a machine ofthe class described, a wheel supported main framehaving an axle, a ground engaging pulling wheel loosely mounted on theaxle to adapt itself to irregularities in the ground, said pulling wheelhaving pivoted spokes and flexible gripping rims and means forresiliently forcing said rims in the direction of each other, a rodmovably supported by the main frame, a bar having terminal eyes engagingsaid rod and the hub of the pulling wheel, spreading members carried bysaid bar and engaging the spokes toforce the rlatter and the flexil blerims apart from each other, yand bunching members to gather the tops ofbeets and to guide them between the flexible rims while thus forcedapart, in combination with means for severing the beets frorrfthe tops,l

and a chute interposed betweeny the spreading members to convey the topsto a place of deposit.

10. In a machine of the class described, a

Wheel supported main frame having an axle, a ground' engaging pullingwheel loosely mounted on thev axle to adapt itself to irregularities inthe ground, said pulling wheel having pivoted spokes and flexiblegripping rims and means forresiliently forcing said rims in thedirection of each other, a rod movably supported by the main frame, a-bar having terminal eyes engaging said `-ro'd and the hub of thepulling wheel, spreading members carried by said bar and engaging thespokes to force the latter and the flexible rims apart from eachf other,and bunching members togather the tops of beets and to guide thembetween the flexible rims while thus forced apart, in combination lwithmeans for severing the beets from the tops, a chute interposed betweenthe spreading members to .convey the tops to a place of deposit, and aplowcarried by f the main frame to assist in loosening the soil and inpushing the beets from the In testimony whereof I affix in presence oftwo witnesses.

BENEDICI O. SIEGFUS. Witnesses:

WM. c. Rows,

LaWRENCE B. BARTON,

1,20 my signature

